The Boys in the Boat:Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Daniel James Brown

The big success story for the US from the 1936 Berlin Olympics is Jessie Owens, but the eight-man rowing team from the University of Washington also brought home the gold. The story of these young men, facing the elite and better-funded teams first in the US and then on an international scale, is the sort of inspiration that should be shared when we look for role models in the world of sports. As unsophisticated as they were, under the direction of their coach the team achieved harmony and precision through sheer determination and hard work.